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Tywardreath Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Management Proposals

March 2010

The Tywardreath Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Proposals were commissioned by Restormel Borough Council. It was endorsed by Restormel Borough Council’s Policy and Scrutiny Committee 4 and Cabinet in June 2007 and was subsequently endorsed by Cornwall Council as a material consideration within the emerging Cornwall Council Local Development Framework on 24 April 2010. The recommended changes to the boundaries of Tywardreath Conservation Area were authorised by Cornwall Council and came into effect on 24 April 2010.

Contents

Summary

1 Introduction

2 Location and Setting

3 Historic Development

4 Character

5 Negative features and issues

6 Management proposals

Sources

Acknowledgements: Thanks go to Cornwall County Council’s Historic Environment Service, Cornwall Centre (Cornish Studies Library) and Cornwall Record Office, and to the Royal Institute of Cornwall’s Courtney Library for their assistance during the research for this appraisal.

A draft version of this appraisal has been through a public consultation process and revised in light of comments received. Thanks go to all who took part in the consultation process.

Contacts

Historic Environment Service Cornwall Council 39 Penwinnick Road St Austell PL25 5DR

[email protected]

01726 223454.

This document is available to view and download on the Council’s website - at http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=17377

Maps The maps are based on Ordnance Survey material with the permission of the Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office © Crown copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution and/or civil proceedings. The map data, derived from Ordnance Survey mapping, included within this publication is provided by Restormel Borough Council under licence from the Ordnance Survey in order to fulfil its public function to publicise local public services. Restormel Borough Council Licence No. (100018639) 2007.

The tithe map of 1839 (TM/242) is reproduced with permission of Cornwall Record Office, Cornwall County Council.

The first edition Ordnance Survey map is reproduced, based on the Ordnance Survey and Landmark 1880 OS 1:2500 historic mapping with the permission of the Controller Her Majesty's Stationery Office © Crown copyright and Landmark Information Group. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to Prosecution or civil proceedings. CCC licence No 100019590. All material copyright © Cornwall County Council 2007.

© Restormel Borough Council 2007 No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the publisher.

March 2010

http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=17377

Character Appraisal Tywardreath and Management Proposals Conservation Area

Summary

Summary of special interest Tywardreath’s character and appearance is largely defined by the development of the settlement as a mining town during the early

19th century. Its settlement form dates to its earlier historic significance as a medieval churchtown and home to Tywardreath Priory.

Although there are few visible remains of the Priory, it is important site and has high archaeological potential. Today perceived as

a village, Tywardreath has a strong sense of community and offers a range of facilities and services. The settlement has grown

substantially during the 20th and 21st centuries.

The historic core of the settlement is set within a shallow bowl at the head of a valley giving a strong sense of containment. The

regular settlement form, centred on the church and Butter Market, based on the convergence of many routes linking with the

surrounding parish is evidence of its planned development. The regular plot widths and continuous build lines along street

frontages give a sense of order and enclosure, containing views within the streetscape.

The architecture of the village is dominated by 19th century development relating to the mining town. The urban cottage rows of the

Fore Street core and the substantial and architecturally impressive civic, institutional and commercial landmark buildings show the

economic vitality of the period. Cottage rows and late 19th and early 20th century villa-terraces and pairs, set behind front gardens,

in the surrounding residential streets contrast in character with the former commercial core. Large detached houses and villas

within garden plots demonstrate the 19th century wealth of the settlement. The more rural, vernacular character of the pre-mining

town is remembered in 18th century buildings such as 9 Mount Bennett Road, a cob and formerly thatched cottage.

Summary 1March 2010


Summary 2

Now perceived as a village. Offers a range

of facilities and services with a strong sense of community

TYWARDREATH IS A SPECIAL PLACE Central core

dominated by hard landscaping. Elsewhere front

gardens, mature trees, the churchyard, Newhouse Valley

and large villa gardens are important

Surviving historic streetscape features add

richness – floorscape, wells and stream at Well Street, granite niches in boundary

walls formerly holding water pumps

Strong sense of containment within landscape

setting. Set in a shallow bowl at head of valley draining west to a

former tidal estuary

The regular s ttlement form reflects the

planned nature of development. A convergence of roads around an

oval hub with the church and Butter Market forming the historic heart of the settlement. Strongly

uniform plot patterns and build lines

e

Dominated by surviving 18th and 19th century architecture. Densely developed urban cottage

rows, substantial and architecturally impressive civic, institutional and

commercial landmark buildings and large villas set in private gardens.

Later suburban villa pairs and terraces are also a common

building type

Contained views within the settlement core. Church

tower an important landmark. Views to the surrounding ountryside from settlement

edges c

March 2010


Negative features and issues The appraisal has identified the following negative features or

issues adversely affecting the special character of the

conservation area:

• Inappropriate alterations to historic buildings have led to

the incremental loss of historic architectural features.

• Lack of clearly defined settlement focus. Church and Butter

Market are currently underplayed as the heart of the

settlement.

• Insensitive infill development that fails to respect the

special character of the conservation area and the threat of

further inappropriate development.

• Public realm issues such as loss of enclosure along Church

Street, the use of standard street furniture items that fail to

respond to the high quality of their setting, prominent

overhead cables and areas of poor floorscape.

• Climate change has the potential to affect the conservation

area

Management proposals The protection and enhancement of the special character of

the conservation area depends on the positive conservation

management of the settlement. In addition to the existing

national statutory legislation and local planning policy controls

the following management proposals are recommended:

• Extend the conservation area to include all areas of special

architectural and historic interest.

• Consideration of establishing a register of locally important

historic buildings.

• Consideration of the introduction of an Article 4 (2)

Direction to protect significant historic features and details

of unlisted dwellings within the conservation area.

• Ensure that all new development in and around the

conservation area respects and responds positively to its

historic context.

Summary 3March 2010


• Public realm enhancements, including measures to

strengthen the Butter Market and church as the heart of the

settlement.

• Recognition of the archaeological significance of the Priory.

• Promotion of the historic interest of the settlement.

• Respond to the challenge of climate change.

Summary 4March 2010


1 Introduction What is a conservation area? A conservation area is ‘an area of special architectural or

historic interest the character or appearance of which it is

desirable to preserve or enhance’.

Section 69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation

Areas) Act 1990.

What does conservation area status mean? Conservation area status provides the opportunity to promote

the protection and enhancement of the special character of

the defined area. Designation confers a general control over

development that could damage the area’s character with

strengthened controls covering the demolition of buildings,

minor development and the protection of trees.

Change is inevitable in most conservation areas and it is not

the intention of the designation to prevent the continued

evolution of places. The challenge within conservation areas

is to manage change in a way that maintains, reinforces and

enhances the special qualities of the area.

What is the purpose of this appraisal? This appraisal seeks to provide the basis for making informed,

sustainable decisions in the positive management, protection

and enhancement of the Tywardreath conservation area.

Initial chapters provide a brief account of the historic

development of the settlement and an analysis of its special

character. Subsequent sections identify negative features and

issues that detract from the area and outline management

proposals.

This appraisal follows the current guidance set out by English

Heritage in the 2006 publication ‘Guidance on conservation

area appraisals’.

The appraisal is not intended to be comprehensive and the

omission of any particular building, feature or space should

not be taken to imply that it is of no interest.

1: Introduction 5March 2010


Planning policy context This appraisal should be read in conjunction with the wider

national, regional and local planning policy and guidance.

Relevant documents include:

• Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990

• Planning Policy Guidance 15: Planning and the Historic Environment 1994

• Planning Policy Guidance 16: Archaeology and Planning 1990 (PPG15 and PPG16 are due to be replaced with a combined document PPS5 Planning for the Historic Environment in the near future)

• Cornwall Structure Plan 2004, particularly Policy 2 Character Areas, Design and Environmental Protection

• Restormel Borough Council’s Local Plan 2001-2011, particularly Chapter 5 Environment and Conservation

Public consultation A draft version of this appraisal went through a six-week

public consultation process. A four-week public exhibition was

held at St Andrew’s Church providing a summary of the

appraisal findings, together with take away leaflets on the

appraisal and how to view the full document, an information

sheet on living in a conservation area and response forms.

Identified stakeholders and interested parties were directly

notified included the Parish Council, councillors and officers of

the Borough Council and County Council, the Cornish

Buildings Group and the Old Cornwall Society. Consultees

were encouraged to have their say and send their comments

to the council. The consultation was advertised with posters in

the village, local press coverage and via the village website.

The draft appraisal and response form was made available

through the Council’s website and paper copies were

available to view at the exhibition, the local library and at

Council offices. A presentation on the appraisal’s findings was

given at a public meeting of Tywardreath and Par Parish

Council on 19 April 2007, followed by a discussion session.

The consultation responses were evaluated and the appraisal

was amended in light of comments received. This document

was endorsed by Restormel Borough Council in June 2007. It

was formerly endorsed by the Policy and Scrutiny Committee

4 at the meeting of 11 June 2007 and by the Cabinet at the



meeting of 18 June 2007. The appraisal will be a material

consideration when applications for change within the

conservation area or its setting are considered by the Council.

Tywardreath conservation area The Tywardreath conservation area was designated by

Restormel Borough Council in 1974. The current designated

area covers the majority of the historic settlement including

the site of the former priory, the medieval church, the historic

commercial core of Butter Market and Fore Street, and the

surrounding residential and villa suburbs.



Existing conservation area boundary

Conservation area location: within the wider borough (top) and the surrounding local vicinity



2 Location and context Tywardreath is situated 1 km to the north east of St Austell

Bay on the south coast of Cornwall within the boundaries of

the Central 2 area of Cornwall Council. It is located 8 km east

of St Austell, 7.5 km south of Lostwithiel, 6 km north west of

Fowey and 1 km east of Par.

The village is set off the A3082 Par to Fowey road and is

served by the nearby Par railway station, on the main line

between Penzance and London Paddington and the branch

line connection to Newquay.

The popular Saint’s Way footpath passes through the village

and the South West Coastal Path is less than 1 km to the

south.

Topography

Tywardreath is located in a sheltered position at the head of a

shallow, wide and open valley draining west to a former tidal

estuary. The historic core of the settlement developed on the

south facing, northern slopes of the valley and is enclosed by

the surrounding gently rising higher ground. A stream runs

along the valley floor fed by a number of springs and wells

located at Well Street.

The former tidal estuary extended from St Austell Bay to St

Blazey, running eastwards to the north of Tywardreath along

the Treesmill Valley. The tidal estuary had silted up by the 18th

century and was subsequently reclaimed and developed but

Treesmill Valley remains a dominant natural boundary in the

landscape.

2: Location and context 9March 2010


Landscape setting

The wider landscape setting is of dispersed settlement with

farms, hamlets and small villages set within an agricultural

landscape of largely ‘Anciently Enclosed Land’, with a small

area of ‘Recently Enclosed Land’ to the north east of the

conservation area and areas of ‘Upland Woodland’ to the

north of the railway line in the Treesmill valley (Cornwall

Historic Landscape Characterisation, 1994). Tywardreath falls

within St Austell Bay and Luxulyan Valley character area

(CA39) in the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Landscape Study. Former tidal estuary

The railway line and Tywardreath Hill to the west, form a

boundary between this agricultural landscape and the more

industrialised landscape of Par, St Blazey and Par Docks.

Geology

The underlying geology of the area is of Devonian slatestone,

locally referred to, by a traditional mining term, as ‘killas’.

Valley topography



Tywardreath in its landscape setting, view to the south east.

The settlement is located at the head of a valley draining west to the former tidal estuary, protected from coastal extremes by surrounding higher ground (CCC, Historic Environment, ABP F57 15).



Historic environment designations Stone was quarried locally to the north east at Chapeldown

and along Mount Bennett Road, probably providing the

building material for much of the settlement. The current historic environment designations within the

conservation area are:

Setting of the conservation area • One scheduled monument – a medieval wayside cross

shaft in the churchyard. Extensive 20th century residential development forms much of

the setting of the conservation area. Early 20th century

development extends west to the railway at Par and late 20th

century estate-based development has taken place to the

north and east. An area of historic development is located to

the north-east on higher ground along Mount Bennett Road.

To the south, an agricultural landscape of fields laid to pasture

and subdivided by Cornish hedges, forms the setting of the

conservation area.

• 15 listed buildings designations, some of which include

more than one structure, others refer to boundary walls. St

Andrews Church is listed Grade II*, all the others are of

Grade II status.

• Three areas of trees are covered by a Tree Protection

Order at Woodland Avenue.

• Tywardreath is close to the designated areas of Heritage

Coast, as defined by the Local Plan and the Cornwall Area

of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Literary associations

Daphne du Maurier’s 1969 novel ‘The House on the Strand’

was inspired by the 14th century manor of Tywardreath and

blends historic fact with fiction.



3 Historic development

Historic interest

Tywardreath was the medieval churchtown for the wider

parish; the principal settlement for the surrounding area.

The settlement was home to Tywardreath Priory,

established shortly after the Norman Conquest. The priory

was the dominant force in the settlement until its

dissolution in 1536 and was located to the south of the

church in the Newhouse area.

After the dissolution of the priory the settlement declined in

status. Surviving buildings of the 18th century suggest a

rural vernacular character with evidence of a number of

farm complexes within the settlement.

During the early 19th century the settlement became a

mining town stimulated by the rapid rise in the population

of the area due to the opening of a number of important

copper mines. The civic and commercial development of

the town was accompanied by residential development

with both high-density cottage rows and large, detached

villa residences. The character of the built environment of

the settlement is largely defined by this period of

development, although the settlement form is earlier.

The late 19th century mining collapse resulted in the

economic decline of the town. Suburban villa-type

residential developments dominated the evolution of the

settlement during the late 19th and early 20th century.

The settlement is now perceived as a village with the

historic core surrounded by extensive 20th century

residential development. The village retains a strong sense

of community with a small range of shops, pub, school and

places of worship.

3: Historic development 13March 2010


Prehistory

The topographical setting, close to the tidal estuary but

sheltered from coastal extremes, would have been an

attractive location from the earliest times.

Chance discoveries of a middle Bronze Age palstave (axe) in

Vicarage Road and a possible prehistoric shell and bone

midden in North Street suggest prehistoric activity in the

vicinity. Evidence for a pattern of dispersed prehistoric

settlement in the wider landscape includes:

• the nationally significant, large Iron Age hillfort at

Castledore, 2km to the east;

• a possible rectilinear enclosure, visible as a crop mark in

aerial photographs, to the south of the conservation area;

and

• a possible late prehistoric and Romano-British defended

farmstead or ‘round’, suggested by the historic field name

‘Round Meadow’, to the west of the conservation area at

Tehidy Road.

Stone from the priory has been reused throughout the village, such as at 13 Church Street

Recorded prehistoric features (taken from Cornwall County Council’s Historic Environment Record)

The site of Tywardreath Priory is thought to be located in the Newhouse area to the south of the church



The medieval settlement

First recorded as ‘Tiwardrai’ in the Domesday entry of 1086,

the place name means ‘House on or by the sands or shore’.

Tywardreath Priory

Tywardreath Priory is said to have been established c1088 as

a dependency of a French Benedictine Abbey at Angers.

However, details of its foundation are somewhat confused

and there are indications that the site may have been used as

a place of early Christian activity in the Early Medieval period

(400-1066 AD). Lysons records the site of the priory as

‘Lantinny’, a name suggestive of the location of a ‘lann’ or

early Christian enclosure, and the close relationship of the site

with springs and wells, and its topographic location at the

head of the valley, is typical of such foundations.

The priory was the dominant force in the settlement and wider

area until its dissolution in 1536. It was a wealthy and

powerful institution with extensive landholdings, such as at St

Austell and at Fowey where it established the market as a

financial speculation and was responsible for maintaining the

town’s defences. Pevsner states that ‘with Glasney College,

Penryn, and the two priories of Bodmin and Launceston it was

the most notable monastic foundation in the county’.

The site of the priory is thought to be located to the south of

the churchyard in the Newhouse area. On the tithe map of

1839 Newhouse is labelled ‘The Priory Farm’. Although

substantially lost, standing elements of the complex may

survive within the fabric of the southern churchyard wall and in

the Newhouse development. The tombstone of one of the last

abbots of the priory survives in St Andrews church.

Antiquarian investigations suggest that there are significant

belowground archaeological remains, with the results of a

series of excavations reported in a 1822 article in ‘The

Gentleman’s magazine’ (transcribed in Gilbert, 1838).

Excavated remains were interpreted as the chapel of priory,

measuring 80 feet by 57 feet, with a semicircular apse to the

east end, built of killas rubble with dressed stone buttresses of

wrought Pentewan stone and a floor of beach pebbles. The



excavator recorded that the wall of the chapel is the south

wall of the churchyard.

Stone from the Priory has been reused throughout the village

and carved stone fragments can be seen reset in later

buildings, such as 13 Church Street and Newhouse. Other

architectural fragments possibly related to the priory are

located in the churchyard.

Churchtown

As a churchtown, Tywardreath served as the principal

settlement of Tywardreath parish. St Austell Bay is depicted

on Norden’s map of c1600 as ‘Trewardrayth Bay’ showing the

importance of the settlement during this period.

The physical form of the settlement reflects its churchtown

function, with the prominence of the parish church and the

radiating network of roads linking to the surrounding area. St

Andrew’s church now largely dates to the substantial 19th

century restorations, but the mid 14th century tower survives.

The foundations of an earlier church of cruciform plan were

reputedly discovered during the 19th century rebuilding.

The remains of a medieval strip field system survives to the

north of the church and is cut through by North Street. This is

evidence that North Street was not part of the original layout

of the settlement but represents a later phase of expansion.

Tywardreath after the priory

Following the dissolution of the priory in 1536, its land and

assets were seized by the crown, subsequently passing

through a series of owners, before being split in the early 17th

century between the Rashleigh’s and the Bassets of Tehidy

(an association remembered in ‘Tehidy Road’). From this

period, these families became the dominant forces in the

settlement.

Leland, writing c1534-43, says of Tywardreath: ‘A pretty town,

but no market, lieth a quarter of a mile from the east side of

the bay; there is a parish church, and there was a priory of

black monks, a cell sometime to a house in Normandy’.

By the 18th century the settlement had declined into further

obscurity. In his 1724 ‘Tour through Great Britain’ Daniel



Defoe mentions Tywardreath as ‘a town of no great note,

though the bay takes its name from it’.

St Andrew’s church, mid 14th century tower

The New Inn, mid 18th century date

9 Mount Bennett Street, early 18th century cob cottage, formerly thatched

By this period the tidal estuary was fast silting up due to the

effects of a sand bar and debris from the inland tin streaming

and mining activity. By 1770 the ferry that had run from Little

Par to St Blazey church had ceased to operate.

There is likely to be a substantial number of surviving 18th

century buildings, although many are disguised behind later

frontages. Known 18th century buildings, such as 9 Mount

Bennett Street, an early 18th century cottage, and evidence for

a number of farm complexes within the settlement, such as

Mount Bennett Farm, remembered in Swallows Barn, suggest

a rural vernacular character; other structures, such as the

New Inn, reputedly of mid century date, are of more

architectural pretension.

19th century mining town

During the early decades of the 19th century Tywardreath

developed as a mining service town and this phase of its



development continues to be a dominant aspect of the

settlement’s present day character.

Tin extraction had long been practised in the area with 19

tinners listed in the settlement in the Military Survey of 1522-

26. However, the Cornish copper mining boom, begun in the

18th century, led to an unprecedented scale of industrial

extraction that had profound effects on the settlement and the

surrounding area.

The establishment of nearby copper mines at Wheal

Treasure, Fortune, Chance and at Lanescot in 1813 and the

opening of Treffry’s Fowey Consols in 1822 led to a rapid

influx in the population of the area. The census returns for the

parish record the near doubling of the population between

1811 and 1821 (1811–741, 1821–1238), and again between

1821 and 1831 (1821-1238, 1831-2288). The dramatic rise in

population and the wealth generated by the mining boom

stimulated a significant period of development and change in

the settlement and much of Tywardreath’s built environment

dates from this period.

The tithe map of 1839 shows the settlement at the end of the

most rapid period of population growth. High-density cottage

rows, built to house the increased workforce, are depicted

alongside larger houses fronting onto the main streets of the

settlement. Early 19th century cottage rows survive at North

Street, their small size marking them out from the more

numerous later examples. Tywardreath was also home to

wealthy inhabitants, with a group of early 19th century large,

detached and architecturally impressive residences. These

buildings, often set back from the road within garden plots,

are concentrated along Woodland Avenue and Mount Bennett

Road and include the Tudor-Gothic former Vicarage and the

striking Granite House.

The historic development figure uses historic map information

to chart the expansion of the settlement during the 19th and

20th centuries. The core of the settlement had already been

developed by the 1839 tithe map and subsequent 19th century

development largely consisted of piecemeal development to

the west. More extensive residential development took place

between the 2nd edition Ordnance Survey map of c1907 and



3: Historic development 19

Tithe map, 1839 © Cornwall Record Office, Cornwall County Council TM/242

March 2010



Development at c1840

c1840-c1880

c1880-c1907

c1907-c1933

c1933-present

Historic development of Tywardreath

March 2010


the c1933 Ordnance Survey Revision map, again focused to

the west of the earlier core.

The settlement continued its churchtown function serving the

wider area. The increased population and wealth generated

from mining stimulated the settlement’s economy and

increased the services it provided. A market was established,

schools, chapels, a town hall, institutes, reading room, shops,

pubs and inns were all developed, turning Tywardreath into a

thriving town boasting many improvements and new facilities.

The substantial scale and architectural qualities of many of

these new structures demonstrate the affluence and civic

confidence of the settlement at this time. Historic photographs

document numerous shop fronts that have since been lost as

the economic activity in the village declined.

The development of the railway and the creation of nearby

Par Station in 1850, opened up new markets for the town and

made imported goods and building materials more easily

accessible and economically viable.

Early 19th century cottage rows, North Street

Market House, later police station with date stone of 1860

Wesleyan chapel, Well Street, 1828

Former Vicarage, early 19th century Tudor- Gothic architecture

Former National School, 1840s

Historic photographs provide evidence of lost shop fronts



19th century civic, institutional and commercial

development:

• A Market House built in 1837 is shown on the tithe map as

three detached structures enclosing a courtyard. It appears

to be the infill development of an earlier open space and

may have formalised earlier marketing activity in the area

known as the Butter Market. The surviving Market House

has a date stone of 1860 and is marked as a Police Station

on the c1880 1st edition Ordnance Survey map. It continued

in this use until 1965 and was subsequently saved from

demolition by the Cornwall Building Preservation Trust in

1977 who sympathetically converted it to residential use.

• The Wesleyan Chapel, Well Street was built in 1828 and

continues as a place of worship. Its former Sunday School

to the south, just outside the conservation area, is now

used as a nursery. The 1858 Bible Christian Chapel, Glen

View, is now converted for residential use.

• A substantial National School was built during the 1840s,

and survives as the village hall, Church Street. The earliest

phase of today’s Primary and Junior School, to the west of

the current conservation area, was built in 1903 with

various later extensions and additions.

• A ‘Town Hall’ was built by the landlord of the New Inn as a

function room, rather than a municipal headquarters.

Between 1862-1931 the Magistrates Court was held here.

• The 1st edition Ordnance Survey map of c1880 shows a

Masonic Hall on Vicarage Road, which was later used as

the Parish Rooms following the construction in 1895 of the

present Freemasons Hall on Woodland Avenue.

• During the height of the mining boom the town had 17

pubs, inns and beer houses. Many of these would have

been simple parlour bars in private houses. However, two

larger premises retain their historic character despite

having lost their function. The Commercial Inn had ceased

trading by the 1881 census but its impressive porch

survives on what is now 1-2 Well Street. The former

Bassett Arms, now Hill House, also remains distinctive,

dominating the open space to the west of the church.



Mining collapse

Just as the opening of the mines had a profound effect on the

settlement, so did their decline. By the 1860s the mines were

becoming less economically viable as the more easily

accessible ores became exhausted and in 1867 Fowey

Consols closed. The population figures for the parish record

the mass migration that followed, with the 1861 peak of 3379

declining to 2370 in 1871 and continuing to decline, albeit

more gradually, for the rest of the century.

The economic vibrancy of the town declined and the

settlement reverted from a town to a village. The Market

House ceased to function and was converted to a Police

Station, shops and pubs closed.

However, the local economy had a greater degree of diversity

than many of the other mining areas with the growing

influence of the china clay industry bolstering the traditional

maritime and agricultural activity.

From the late 19th century to the present, development in the

settlement has been dominated by residential expansion. Up

to the mid 20th century this took the form of sub-urban villa-

type developments, typified by the villa-terraces of North

Street and the villa pairs of Tehidy Road.

Later 20th century to the present

Since the mid 20th century the settlement’s expansion has

been rapid with residential estate-based developments built

around the historic core. Mount Bennett Terrace is an early

example of social housing built in 1920. Later private estates

feature bungalows and houses often arranged in cul-de-sacs

and closes. A number of infill developments have also taken

place within the historic core often associated with the

demolition of historic structures and the loss of historic

topography, for example Vine Place where 6 cottages in North

Street were demolished to create the access road and the

historic grain of the long thin plots was not respected in the

imposed courtyard layout of the new development.




1st edition Ordnance Survey, 1:25, 000 c1880 © Cornwall County Council

March 2010


Archaeological potential

Tywardreath has potential for standing and buried

archaeological remains relating to its historic development.

The area of the churchyard and site of the former priory in the

Newhouse area is of particular importance. The

archaeological record may be the only source for evidence for

the location, nature and evolution of the priory and the

possible existence of earlier Christian activity, such as a lann

enclosure.

Archaeological deposits and buildings archaeology has the

potential to provide further evidence for the origins,

development and evolution of the settlement. There is

potential for evidence relating to marketing activity in the

Butter Market area, building sequences along the street

frontages, industrial activity in back plot locations and for

evidence of the farming complexes. There is also potential for

further prehistoric deposits predating the settlement.



4 Settlement character

Essential character

The historic development and topographical location of

Tywardreath has created a settlement with a distinctive

character. Essential character elements include:

The strong sense of containment fostered by the

topographical location within a shallow bowl, at the head of

a valley draining west to a former tidal estuary.

The planned, regular settlement form, based on the

convergence of many routes around an oval hub defining

the settlement core. Formal open space is limited although

the Butter Market area was historically more evident and,

with the church, formed the historic focus of the

settlement. Road junctions around the oval hub are

important focal points. Uniform plots and continuous build

lines give an ordered and enclosed character to

streetscapes.

The completeness of the historic built environment, dominated by the character of the 19th century mining town. Common residential building types include high-

density cottage rows, late 19th and early 20th century villa-

type terraces and pairs and large detached residences set

within larger garden plots. Civic and institutional buildings

form landmark structures, with the church the focal point of

many important views. Evidence of the pre-mining

settlement is recalled in the cob built, formerly thatched

cottage at 9 Mount Bennett Road. Common materials of

killas rubble with granite or brick dressings and painted

stucco elevations unify the streetscape.

Local details. The cottage rows are relatively plain but

feature deep window reveals and sills, with granite steps to

raised front door thresholds in the Fore Street core.

4: Settlement character 26March 2010


Enriched doorways, porches and applied stucco detail are

common features. The villa-terraces and pairs feature high

levels of architectural detail with bay windows,

pentcanopies, ornate bargeboards, decorative ridge tiles

and finials. Boundary walls are important; low front garden

walls with granite details and high rubble-built side and

rear walls.

Surviving historic elements of the public realm, including granite curbs, granite framed niches within

boundary walls originally holding water pumps, and the

wells and conduited stream at Well Street.

The greenscape of the residential areas surrounding the

more densely developed Fore Street core. The

churchyard, front garden plots, mature trees and larger

garden plots of the leafy villa suburbs are all important

features. The rural character of the green valley of the

Newhouse area contrasts with the rest of the conservation

area.



Five Character Areas have been defined within the

conservation area:

1. Church core – the area around the church has a village-

like character with varied building types, heights and widths

set within wider plots creating an informal character with a

looser grain than the more densely developed Fore Street

area (Character Area 2).

2. Commercial core – the area around Fore Street is the

most intensively developed part of the settlement and focus of

much of the surviving commercial activity. The urban cottage

rows form strong continuous build lines along the pavement

edge and the area is dominated by hard landscaping.

3. Residential suburbs – a residential area with a mix of

cottage rows and villa-terrace developments, buildings are set

back from the street behind front gardens and boundary walls

and gateways are important features.

4. Leafy villa suburbs – a residential area around Woodland

Avenue featuring the largest and most architectural dwellings,

set within large garden plots. Greenscape, mature trees and

boundary walls and gateways are important elements.

5. Priory – the site of the former Priory is now a secluded

valley with rural character featuring a smallholding and

agricultural activity, with green fields forming a backdrop to

the settlement.



Spatial analysis

Topography and settlement form

Set at the head of the valley draining west to the former

estuary, Tywardreath is located topographically within a

shallow bowl. This setting creates a strong sense of

containment within the settlement, now somewhat weakened

by 20th century expansion. Residential developments have

spilled over the horizons of this natural bowl to the north and

east, and the estuary has been reclaimed and developed. The

original topography of the valley is, however, still dominant in

the Newhouse area to the south of the settlement.

Tywardreath has a settlement form typical of historic

churchtowns, as the meeting point of many roads linking to

the surrounding area. Routes meet around a distinctive oval

form to the north of the church and priory core. This

arrangement maximises the street frontage along the east-

west contour and minimises north-south routes set against the

underlying gradient. The majority of the historic settlement

The distinctive oval form and converging road pattern defines the settlement form, with church and priory site to the south (CCC, Historic Environment, ABP F57 14).

was contained around this central hub, with limited historic

ribbon development along the radial road network.

Open spaces within the settlement are limited. The 19th

century Butter Market was historically more evident as an

open area and, together with the church, defined the heart of



Landmark structure

Routes and open spaces

Informal open space (Local Plan)

Local / streetscene landmark

Focal point

Area of special sense of place

Tree preservation order

Significant building line

Area of archaeological significance

View

Former market place

Medieval field system boundaries

Loss of enclosure / space leak

Saints Way

Spatial analysis



the settlement. This focus has been somewhat eroded by the

current public realm treatment.

The numerous road junctions around the oval hub form

secondary open spaces and nodal points within the

townscape. These varied spaces act as arrival points to the

centre of the settlement, emphasised by the contrast between

the level topography of the centre and the steep approach

routes. Corner-plot buildings at these junctions provide an

architectural ‘welcome’, angled to address the approach roads

and often featuring distinctive detailing and forming ‘end-

stops’ to streetscape views.

The planned nature of much of the development within the

settlement is reflected in the regularity of its form and build

lines. Uniformity in blocks of development creates an ordered

character; for example the common plot widths, boundaries

and strongly defined build lines.

• The most densely developed part of the settlement

features narrow, long plots with cottage rows tightly

flanking the roadside, set hard against the pavement edge

Cottage rows tightly flank the pavement edge in Fore Street

The 19th century Butter Market is the principal open space

Late 19th & early 20th century villa-type terraces are a common form

Road junctions around the central Detached villas set within private

Typical churchtown form with the convergence of many roads

hub form important arrival points gardens in Woodland Drive



creating a tightly enclosed streetscape dominated by hard

landscaping, almost urban in character. Only landmark

buildings, such as the New Inn, or 20th century structures,

such as the garage, fail to conform to this strong pattern.

• Later 19th and early 20th century suburban villa-type

developments have wider plot widths of shorter length and

common build lines set back from the roadside. Buildings

are often slightly elevated from street level set behind

small front gardens. Retaining boundary walls and granite

steps leading to front doors are important features.

• The larger detached villas are set within squarer plots with

more extensive street frontages often screened by high

boundary walls and planting.

The remains of a medieval strip field system is fossilised in

the settlement grain to the north of the church. The pattern of

long thin, curving strips, visible on the 1839 tithe map, and cut

through by the later North Street, have been retained in the

grain and boundaries of the subsequent residential

development.

Key views and vistas

Tywardreath’s key views and vista’s include:

• The view into the settlement from Tehidy Road along the

Newhouse Valley.

• Sequential views within the historic core - generally

enclosed and contained by the curving line of the roads

and tightly flanking buildings, terminating on the corner plot

buildings at the road junctions.

• The church tower is the focus of many of the most

important views within the settlement. Due to the

topography, it is visible only at a relatively close range and

is not generally a dominant feature throughout the village.

• Views out to the surrounding green fields and countryside -

generally only available from the settlement edge, in

particular the Newhouse valley below the church and from

Wood Lane across the wooded Treesmill valley. A rare

view from the settlement core to the surrounding

countryside is available from Fore Street.



Activity and use

The church tower is an important landmark feature in many settlement views

Views to the surrounding countryside are important. View south west from Fore Street

The remains of a medieval strip field system is fossilised in current plot boundaries to the north of the church

The historic functions of the settlement as a churchtown,

home to Tywardreath Priory, and subsequently as a mining

town have shaped the character of the present settlement.

Today Tywardreath is perceived as a village and is dwarfed

by the growth of neighbouring St Blazey and Par. The village

has a strong sense of identity and a lively community enjoying

a range of facilities including the primary and junior school,

churches, pub, and a range of shops including an award

winning butcher, post office, convenience store and fish and

chip shop. The former National School is now converted as a

Village Hall and there is a Royal British Legion club and

Freemason’s Hall.

Set close to the coast within a busy tourist area, the

settlement has a number of bed and breakfast guesthouses

and hotels. The Saint’s Way footpath and Du Maurier related

‘House on the Strand’ signage from the main road encourage

visitors to explore the village.



Built environment Key: Listed building Scheduled monument Historic building (surviving building shown on 2nd edition OS map c1907) analysis



Standing historic fabric

Architectural characteristics

The built environment of the conservation area is dominated

by 18th and 19th century domestic structures. Common

building types are:

• high density cottage rows of plain architectural detailing

• double fronted houses set direct on the pavement edge, of

both asymmetrical and symmetrical facades with central

doorways

• later 19th and early 20th century villa-type terraces and

semi-detached pairs with high levels of decorative

architectural detailing including bay windows, panelled

doors, porches, pent canopies, ornate barge boards,

bracketed eaves, decorative ridge tiles, finials and ranks of

decorative chimney pots on brick chimney stacks

• larger, more architectural residences set within larger

garden plots.

Civic and institutional buildings, mainly of 19th century date,

are landmark structures set against this residential backdrop:

• the church, now largely dating to the 19th century

restoration but retaining its 14th century tower

• the former market house and subsequent Police Station

• non conformist chapels

• public houses

• halls and

• schools.

More unusual buildings in the conservation area include 9

Mount Bennett Road, an early 18th century cob built cottage

and, at the other extreme, a 20th century art deco inspired

building on North Street.



Outbuildings add interest to the streetscape, for example the

outbuilding at Wood Lane and former privy row at the rear of

1-9 North Street.

Simply detailed cottage rows with important granite steps

Double fronted houses, Fore Street

Villa-type terrace development, North Street

‘Granite House’ an impressive town house, Woodland Avenue

Architecture that has been lost in the conservation area

includes:

• the medieval priory structures in the Newhouse area

• small early-mid 19th century mining related cottage rows

• farm complexes – Trevance Farm demolished to create

the entrance to the Trevance Park estate and Mount

Bennett Farm

• industrial complexes – for example a Malt House on the

site of the British Legion club, Fore Street

• shop fronts – associated with the booming economy of the

19th century mining town and documented in historic

photographs have since removed. Some have left traces

or indications of their former existence.

Relatively few of Tywardreath’s buildings are listed. The 15

designated structures generally comprise the more Former Bassett Arms public house, Church Street

20P

thP century art deco inspired

building, North Street



architectural examples of the village including many of the

institutional buildings and the grander residences. Number 9

Mount Bennett Road is one of the few vernacular structures

included in the list.

There are a large number of unlisted buildings that make a

positive contribution to the character and appearance of the

conservation area. Buildings that are depicted on the 2nd

edition Ordnance Survey map of c1907 and survive today are

highlighted on the built environment analysis map as ‘Historic

Buildings’.

Side and rear elevations throughout the townscape are highly

visible and should, therefore, be considered as important as

front facades.

Materials

The predominant building material is slatestone rubble (killas),

probably obtained from nearby quarries including those at

Chapeldown to the north east, at the northern end of Mount

Bennett Road and in the Newhouse area (including the

robbing of the priory buildings). Pentewan stone is also used,

for example, as the dressings of the church.

Irregular rubble is teamed with dressings of granite, red and

buff coloured brick or larger pieces of killas.

Higher status residences, civic and institutional buildings are

commonly also of killas, although generally of larger sized,

shaped and faced pieces laid in more regular courses. The

‘Granite House’ is an architectural exception in the village

and, as its name suggests, features a granite ashlar façade.

Painted stucco is a common surface finish, and was

historically more prevalent. Surviving architectural detail on

some exposed rubble buildings stands well proud of the wall

surface, suggesting an original stucco finish, for example 1-3

Well Street and 2-4 Church Street. A variety of historic surface

finishes survives including scored stucco, for example on the

façade of the Bible Christian chapel, Glen View and textured

roughcast on some of the more modest cottage rows. Some

highly textured recent surface finishes and spar dash

coverings fail to reflect the character of these historic finishes.



Neutral shades, pastels and stone colours dominate the

colour washed stuccoed elevations, with architectural

detailing, such as window reveals, sills and doors, picked out

in stronger colours.

The early 18th century cottage, 9 Mount Bennett Road, is of

cob construction and was originally thatched. It is likely that

these materials were once more common within the village.

Some of the rear extensions to killas rubble cottages are of

cob construction and other earth-built walls may be disguised

behind later stuccoed surfaces. Slate-hung elevations may

also have been more common, now with only very limited

survival.

Roofs are of slate and commonly hipped or gabled. Some

buildings retain dry laid Delabole slate roofs such as the

former National School, elsewhere replacement roofs are of a

darker slate teamed with red ridge and hip tiles. The majority

of guttering is of modern fascia-mounted plastic replacement.

Local details

There has been an extensive loss of historic fenestration and

architectural detail including door and window fittings, wall

surfaces, roof coverings, railings and shop fronts. As a result

the authentic character of the settlement, to an extent, has

been eroded and some evidence of its booming mining town

economy removed.

Windows are deeply set in the thick rubble walls, creating

deep reveals, sometimes painted in strong colours adding

vibrancy to the streetscape and a sense of depth to the

elevations. Sash windows are common, with some projecting

oriel windows to first floors. Both single and double storey bay

windows are common in the villa-terraces and pairs. Generally

windows and doors have shallow segmental arched heads but

there is also a local detail of round-headed openings, such as

the Town Hall and 3 Church Street. Windowsills are common

with both painted stone sills (possibly granite) and unpainted

thin slate examples.



There are some notable doorways within the conservation

area featuring panelled doors, fanlight details, reeded

architrave surrounds, exaggerated vousoirs and quoins and

other architectural enrichments.

Porches are an important local detail in the townscape. The

open porch canopy of the New Inn, supported on slender

Doric columns contrasts sharply with the oversized, massive

columns of the porch of the former Commercial Hotel, 2 Well

Street. Glazed porches with decorative stained glass and

margin glazing bars feature in some of the villa-pairs and a

number of the villa terraces have veranda style open porches

with glazed canopies and decorative fret-work timber panels.

Others have simple pent canopies over bay windows and

along facades.

Applied stucco architectural detailing is a common enrichment

on both stucco fronted and exposed rubble elevations. Quoins

and fenestration details are typical such as keystone vousoirs.

The current shop fronts are of recent date and generally of

simple design, often representing alterations to originally

A number of outbuildings survive but are vulnerable to loss

Substantial columns survive from the former Commercial Hotel

Notable doorways include this impressive example in Fore Street with applied stucco quoins and vousoirs, fanlight and panelled door

Granite steps to raised front doors are a local detail in the Fore Street area

Elements of a historic shopfront survive, Church Street



domestic buildings. The majority of the historic shop fronts,

documented in historic photographs have been lost, although

elements survive at the butchers shop in Church Street.

An important local detail in the central core of the settlement

are the flights of granite steps leading to the raised ground

floor doorways necessitated by the sloping topography. Steps

vary in layout with some set parallel to building and others at

right angles. Many now featuring iron railings, although the

modern railing designs suggest that this may be a recent

adaptation.

Boundary walls are an important element of the built

environment. Rear and side walls are often of high rubble built

construction with front garden boundaries generally of a lower

level often of granite with gateways framed by piers and

decorative capstones adding to the strongly enclosed street

frontages and clearly delineating private and public areas.

Historically iron railings have been a more prominent

boundary treatment, as recorded in historic photographs. The

churchyard, for example, was surrounded by ornate cast iron

railings set in the surviving low boundary wall. The lantern

gateway to the west, with ornate gates and piers, is a survival

from this earlier arrangement and to the east the historic gates

and piers have been reset as part of the modern lych gate.

The rest of the railings were removed as part of the war effort

during the Second World War. Elsewhere, at 45 and 47 North

Street, two houses in a villa terrace feature heavily ornate cast

iron panels in the upper part of their front garden boundary,

that make a positive contribution to the streetscape.

Historic photographs provide evidence of the former railings and boundary trees around the churchyard



Streetscape

Public realm

Tywardreath’s public realm is generally uncluttered with

minimal street furniture and signage. However, current items

are of standard designs that often fail to respect the quality of

the surrounding environment. Overhead cables are a

prominent negative feature in many parts of the settlement.

Extensive on-street parking also detracts from the qualities of

the streetscape, although, to some extent, it has positive

traffic calming effects.

Surviving historic public realm features include granite kerbs

to many of the pavements that give a robust quality to the

streetscape. In sharp contrast are the poor quality cast

concrete pavements, edged by concrete kerbs along Belmont

Street that provide a poor setting for the surrounding historic

buildings and townscape.

Granite framed niches set within boundary walls are another

historic survival throughout the townscape, originally holding

water pumps.

Two historically important areas of townscape have been the

subject of public realm enhancement schemes creating

popular informal public open areas at Well Street and Butter

Market. The Well Street area features a conduited stream fed

by springs in the area and an important historic rubble wall

with openings to the wells with keystone voussoir details.

Greenscape

Much of the central core of the settlement is dominated by

hard landscaping with very little greening. Elsewhere front

gardens, trees, green spaces, such as the churchyard, and

views to the surrounding countryside are important to the

character of the village. The green valley of Newhouse forms

an important green backdrop to the south side of the

settlement.



Character Areas

In addition to identifying broad elements of settlement character that define Tywardreath as a whole, townscape analysis has

identified five distinct character areas:

1.

1. Church core 2. Commercial core 3. Residential suburbs 4. Leafy villa suburbs 5. Priory

1

4

3

5

2



Character area 1: Church core

• Church and churchyard

- Forms the focal point of the settlement

- The church tower is the focus of the most important

townscape views

- The churchyard is an important green space. Its mature

trees form a significant element of the wider street

scene. The condition of some of the tombs is an issue.

- Loss of enclosure along Church Street – the boundary

trees and ornate iron railings around the churchyard,

shown in historic photographs, have been lost. The

area is now open to the streetscape, bounded by a low

stub wall with surviving ornate iron gates to the west

gate, with lantern arch and modern lych gate to the

east gate.

• Two open areas either side of the church are nodal points

in the townscape:

- the Butter Market to the east, with the former market

house, is currently defined by the 1978 enhancement

scheme and provides an informal seating area with

water fountain.

- the enlarged road junction of Tehidy Road and Church

Street to the west, is on a sloping site with Hill House, a

former pub, dominating the space with the war memorial

to the east.

• Church Street is laid along the contour creating a generally

level topography, rising to the west and falling away to the

valley to the south

• Key buildings include the church, the National School now

village hall and the former market house

• Buildings front directly onto the street, with wider plots

compared to the more densely developed Character Area

2. Varied architectural forms and eaves levels add variety

to the streetscape, as does the mix of exposed rubble and

stuccoed elevations.



4: Settlement character 45

Character Area 1: Church core

March 2010


Character area 2: Commercial core

• The most densely developed part of the settlement - urban

in terms of density and build form, and the focus of existing

commercial activity.

• Key buildings include the grade II listed structures of 1-3

Well Street, formerly the Commercial Hotel, the New Inn

complex including the former Town Hall and the unlisted

non-conformist Wesleyan Chapel, Well Street and the

converted Bible Christian Chapel, Glenn View.

• Urban cottage rows are the dominant build form, tightly

packed in regular building plots, with a mixture of single

and double fronted facades set directly onto the pavement

edge, some with long, thin back garden plots bounded by

high rubble walls. Dense, finely grained urban topography.

• The steeply sloping topography creates a staggered

roofline emphasising the gradient. Elsewhere, the sloping

topography is used to accommodate additional storeys with

rooflines kept horizontal, for example 1-3 Well Street. The

sloping gradient has led to a tradition of raised ground

floors with granite steps to elevated front doors.

• Painted rendered elevations dominate, intermixed with

some exposed rubble facades. Architectural detailing is

generally minimal.

• The triangular road junctions of Mount Bennett Road /

Belmont Street and Fore Street and Church Street / Fore

Street and Well Street form focal points defining arrival

points to the settlement core. Road widths are generous

creating a sense of space and accommodating extensive

on street parking.

• The Golden Jubilee Garden, Well Street was created as a

public realm enhancement scheme in 2002. Two arched

wells and the conduited stream form important historic

survivals.

• The streetscape is dominated by hard landscaping, but

window boxes and planters have introduced some

greening. The New Inn pub garden is an important green

space within this densely developed area.




Character Area 2: Commercial core

March 2010


Character area 3: Residential suburbs

• A residential area less urban in character than the

commercial core (Character area 2). More purely

residential in use, with a less dense grain fostering a semi-

rural character (especially in Wood Lane), intermixed with

the suburban nature of the late 19th and early 20th century

villa-terraces.

• Buildings are set back from the roadside behind walled

front gardens, often slightly elevated above road level.

Build-line is more varied than in the settlement core with a

mixture of cottage rows and villa terraces, forming

continuous linear frontages, combined with more irregularly

placed semi-detached and detached houses.

• Important architectural forms include:

- early to mid 19th century rows of mining-related cottages

- later, larger rubble built cottage rows with front garden

plots

- late 19th and early 20th century villa-terraces with high

levels of architectural detailing including bay windows,

decorative applied stucco details, porches and pent

canopies

- detached villas set within garden plots

- surviving historic outbuildings

• Key buildings include:

- Grade II listed 9 Mount Bennett Road

- A 20th century unlisted art deco inspired building, 26-28

North Street.

• Boundary walls and gateways are important character

features. Front garden planting is also important to the area

and the monkey-puzzle tree at 27 North Street is an

unusual feature.

• Some of the infill development fails to respect the historic

grain and character of its setting and there is a threat of

further insensitive development of field and garden plots.




Character Area 3: Residential suburbs

March 2010


Character area 4: Leafy villa suburbs

• A residential area defined by the largest, most

architecturally prestigious residential buildings in the

settlement, set within large garden plots featuring mature

trees and greenscape.

• Important architectural forms include:

- Large detached villas set back from the road within

private gardens, hidden behind high boundary walls and

screens of planting. Refined architectural detailing

includes Italianate styles and at the former Vicarage, a

Tudor Gothic influence.

- The Granite House is a unique building in the settlement.

A town house in character, set directly onto the street

front in contrast to the surrounding large villas, with a

striking granite façade.

- Villa-pairs and rows, especially on Tehidy Road.

- Rubble built cottage pairs and short rows set

immediately next to the grand villas.

• Key buildings include:

- Grade II listed Granite House

- Grade II listed former Vicarage

• Trees and greenscape are an important part of the

character of this area.

• Boundary treatments and gateways are important features,

often of high quality materials and detailing with extensive

use of granite.

• The threat from insensitive subdivision and development of

the large garden plots is an issue in this area, as seen at

Red House Gardens and Swallowfield Close.




Character Area 4: Leafy villa suburbs

March 2010


Character area 5: Priory

• The rural character of this secluded valley area below the

church contrasts strongly with the density of the built-

environment of the settlement core.

• The area has a dramatic valley topography giving a strong

sense of enclosure, with steeply sloping sides and valley

floor stream draining to the west.

• Contained views across the valley are characterised by

green fields bounded by Cornish hedges.

• There are a few, dispersed buildings, including the grade II

listed Newhouse Farmhouse that may include medieval

fabric relating to the Priory. Newhouse Cottages were

church cottages built in what was originally part of the

churchyard.

• The smallholding run from Newhouse and wider agricultural

activity ties the settlement closely to its landscape setting

• As the site of the medieval priory this area is

archaeologically significant.



5 Negative features and issues There are a number of negative features and issues within the

conservation area.

Loss of historic architectural features

Given the limited listed building coverage within the village, it

is not surprising that incremental loss of historic architectural

detail is an issue in the conservation area. Replacement of

windows, doors, traditional wall surfaces and roof coverings

with inappropriate materials and designs is a negative feature

affecting individual buildings and the wider streetscape.

Satellite dishes are often located in prominent positions,

unsympathetic extensions, particularly attic conversions, and

poorly designed conversions erode the special character of

the area. Loss of front boundary walls to create car parking is

also a negative factor.

Weak settlement focus and loss of enclosure

along Church Street

The strong sense of arrival on entering the village core is

dissipated by the lack of a clearly defined settlement focus.

Although the church and the numerous road junctions act as

focal points, the Butter Market area is currently underplayed.

The loss of the ornate iron railings and boundary trees

formerly lining the Church Street boundary of the churchyard,

has reduced the sense of enclosure along this street. This has

weakened the urban form of this part of the settlement.

Insensitive development and the threat of

further inappropriate infill development

The majority of late 20th and 21st century development is sited

on the edge of the historic core, however, some infill

development has taken place. Such schemes are of mixed

success but often fail to respect the historic grain and

topography or be sympathetic to the form, quality of materials

5: Negative features and issues 53March 2010


and architectural scale, design and massing of neighbouring

surroundings. As a result some of this infill development has

eroded, rather than enhanced the special character of the

conservation area.

The threat of further inappropriate infill development is an

issue in the conservation area. The subdivision of the large

garden plots of the detached villas is likely to be a

development pressure in future, as is the development of

remaining empty plots within the central oval hub.

Public realm

The public realm of the settlement is generally uncluttered and

unobtrusive and features a number of historic elements that

add interest and richness to the area’s special character.

However, some elements of the public realm fail to match the

high quality of the surrounding historic environment and

detract from its special character. For example, the use of

standard street furniture items, the prominent overhead cables

and areas of poor floorscape.

Incremental loss of architectural detail affects character

Unsympathetic conversion of former Bible Christian Chapel

Poor surfaces are a negative feature in some areas

Some infill development fails to respect the historic grain of the settlement

Traffic can have a negative impact on the ambience of the

conservation area. Extensive on street parking detracts, to

some extent, from the qualities of the village but also calms

speed levels.



Climate change

Climate change has the potential to seriously affect the

Tywardreath conservation area. The increase in the frequency

of extreme weather conditions and flooding has the potential

to damage buildings, landscapes and archaeology.

Equally, measures designed to address climate change may

also have an impact on the special character of the

conservation area.



6 Management proposals

Conservation area boundary review

The conservation area boundary has been reviewed and a

number of extensions are recommended.

• Well Street – to include the former Wesleyan Sunday

School that forms a group with the chapel to the north.

• Fore Street – to include two surviving historic barn /

industrial buildings to the rear of the garage, possibly

associated with a former malt house in the vicinity.

• Southpark Road – to include a number of villa-pairs, the

Masonic Hall and two early 20th century school buildings

that form a group with the former National School in Church

Street. Distinctive boundary walls and mature trees also

contribute to the special character of this area.

Recommendation: Extend the conservation area boundary to include all areas of special architectural and historic interest.

Surviving barns or industrial buildings to the rear of Fore Street

Former Wesleyan Sunday School, Well Street

Villa-pairs, boundary walls and planting, Southpark Road

Masonic Hall, Southpark Road

School building of 1903, Southpark Road

Early 20th century school building, Southpark Road

6: Management proposals 56March 2010


Recommended extensions to the conservation area



Local list The low percentage of nationally listed structures does not

reflect the importance of much of the historic building stock of

the conservation area. English Heritage, PPG15 and the

Heritage Protection White Paper ‘Heritage Protection for the

21st century’ encourage local authorities to designate lists of

locally important buildings and to formulate local framework

policies for their protection, through normal development

control procedures.

As part of the ongoing Heritage Protection reforms, English

Heritage will produce standardised criteria and good practice

guidance for such local listing. This appraisal identifies

surviving unlisted historic buildings that are shown on the 2nd

edition Ordnance Survey map of c1907 and could form the

basis for the production of a local list.

Recommendation: The Council should consider establishing a register of locally important historic buildings in light of the recommendations made in the ongoing Heritage Protection reforms.

Article 4 (2) Directions The incremental loss of historic architectural detail through

inappropriate alterations to historic buildings has been

identified as an issue affecting the special character of the

conservation area. Very few of the settlement’s historic

buildings are protected by listed building designation and

therefore the introduction of an Article 4 (2) Direction should

be considered to protect the special character of the

residential unlisted buildings within the conservation area.

Article 4 (2) Directions work by removing certain permitted

development rights allowing greater control over changes to

elevations, boundaries and materials. The Direction has to

specify a prescribed range of development that materially

affects some aspects of the external appearance of unlisted

dwelling houses that may normally be altered under ‘permitted

development rights’, for example:

• Removal or replacement of any door or window

• Replacement of painted finishes with stains on woodwork or joinery



• Erection, alteration or removal of chimneys or flues

• Addition of porches, carports and sheds

• Changes to wall surface treatments including the painting of previously unpainted elevations, the addition of renders or claddings

• Changes of roof materials and installation of roof lights

• Demolition or alteration of boundary treatments Such Directions can only be used where there is reliable

evidence to suggest that otherwise permitted development is

likely to take place that would damage an interest of

acknowledged importance and which would therefore be in

the public interest to bring within full planning control. To

designate such a Direction local authorities must consult local

people and take into account public views. To become

effective, notice of the Direction has to be advertised in a local

paper and notice should usually be served to the owners and

occupiers of all affected properties.

Recommendation: The Council should consider the introduction of an Article 4 (2) Direction to protect significant historic features and details on unlisted dwellings within the conservation area.

New development It is important that new development within the conservation

area and its setting should be mindful of the local character of

the village, in terms of its urban design (eg layout and density)

and its architectural design (eg scale, form, quality of

materials, design and building methods). In particular

subdivision of larger plots, so called ‘garden snatching’, has

been highlighted as a potential negative issue affecting the

special character of Tywardreath. To be appropriate such

proposals should demonstrate that they could be achieved

sensitively, without compromising the character or

appearance of the conservation area and its setting.

Subdivision of plots will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Recommendation: The Council will ensure that all new development in and around the conservation area respects and responds positively to its historic context.

Public realm enhancements Although generally uncluttered and featuring a number of

significant historic features, the public realm of the settlement



offers a number of enhancement opportunities. Including the

following:

• Strengthening the definition of the Church and Butter

Market as the heart of the village. The spatial quality of the

open space and the landmark structures of the church and

market house, should be the dominant factors in the public

realm treatment.

• Reintroduction of the sense of enclosure along Church

Street, for example through the reinstatement of boundary

trees and iron railings to the churchyard boundary.

• Replacement of standard street furniture items with fittings

more sensitively designed to respond to the quality and

special character of the conservation area.

• Reduction of the impact of overhead lines through a

programme of undergrounding.

• Improvement of poor floor surfaces.

• Enhancement and sensitive promotion of the route of the

Saint’s Way footpath.

Recommendation: The Council will work with its partners to promote public realm enhancements within the conservation area as opportunities arise and will ensure that future public realm works respect and enhance the special character of the conservation area.

Archaeological significance of the Priory Antiquarian excavations on the site of the priory suggest that

archaeological survival is relatively good. The discovery of

human burials has also been recorded. The priory site is

outside the settlement development envelope and unlikely to

face any extensive redevelopment, however, its

archaeological significance should be formally recognised and

protected, such as through designation as a scheduled

monument. A programme of archaeological evaluation would

help to define the area to be included in the designation and

provide a better understanding of the nature and condition of

the archaeological remains.

Recommendation: Recognise the archaeological importance of the site of Tywardreath Priory and recommend it for designation as a scheduled monument to protect its national archaeological significance.



Heritage related opportunities There are opportunities to make the interesting history of the

settlement and its surrounding area more accessible through

a village trail or guide leaflet promoting Tywardreath as an

historic settlement, highlighting the past importance of the

priory and highlighting surviving historic features. The literary

associations with Du Maurier would also be of interest.

Further promotion of the settlement through joint marketing

with the Saint’s Way footpath may offer future opportunities.

Recommendation: The Council will explore and encourage opportunities for the celebration of the special architectural and historic interest of the conservation area.

Responding to the challenge of climate change Sustainable development lies at the heart of the Council’s

planning policy and Cornwall is committed to becoming one of

the UK’s most sustainable places.

Interventions such as the greater use of renewable energy

technologies and eco friendly development, would need to be

evaluated on a case-by-case basis. However, ultimately the

historic environment is made up of evidence of how we have

adapted and evolved in response to new pressures and

opportunities and it is likely that one of the defining features of

21st century development will be our response to climate

change.

Recommendation: The Council will work with its partners, and establish itself as a community leader, in the response to the challenges of climate change.



Sources

Published sources

Anon, undated. The church and parish of St Andrew Tywardreath Anon, 1962. A short history of St Andrew’s church, Tywardreath Anon, 1978. Tywardreath Methodist Church, 1828-1978, J E Phillips, Tywardreath Anon, 1983. Meg’s memories of Tywardreath and district, typewritten manuscript at the Cornwall Centre Gilbert, D, 1838. The Parochial History of Cornwall, Vol IV, JB Nichols and Son, London Gover, J, E. Cornish Place Names, unpublished manuscript at the Courtney Library, Royal Institute of Cornwall Halliday, F, E (ed), 1969. Richard Carew of Antony. Survey of Cornwall, Adams and Dart, London Pearse Chope, R (ed), 1967. Early tours in Devon and Cornwall, David and Charles, Newton Abbot Pevsner, N, revised Radcliffe, E, 1970 (2nd ed). The buildings of England: Cornwall, Yale University Press, London Preston-Jones A, 1994. ‘Decoding Cornish churchyards’ in Cornish Archaeology, 33

Tywardreath Parish Council, 1997. Circular walks around Tywardreath parish Tywardreath Women’s Institute, 1994. Tywardreath past and present Vincent, S, J, 1922. Reminiscences of the parish of Tywardreath, Cornwall, J Carter, St Blazey Wilson, J, 1986. Around St Austell Bay, Bossiney Books, Bodmin

Strategic, policy and programme documents

Cornwall County Council, 2004, Cornwall Structure Plan Cornwall County Council, 2006, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Landscape Study, Draft Character Area Profile text and mapping Department of the Environment, 1990, Planning Policy Guidance 16:Archaeology and Planning Department of the Environment and Department of National Heritage, 1994, Planning Policy Guidance 15: Planning and the Historic Environment

Sources 62March 2010


English Heritage, January 2006. Climate change and the historic environment English Heritage, February 2006 (a). Guidance on conservation area appraisals English Heritage, February 2006 (b). Guidance on the management of conservation areas Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 Restormel Borough Council. Local Plan 2001-2011 Restormel Borough Council, March 2006. Local Development Framework: Statement of Community Involvement Tywardreath and Par Parish Council, 2005. Tywardreath and Par parish plan

Map sources

Tithe map of Tywardreath parish, 1839 First edition 1:25000 Ordnance Survey map c1880 Second edition 1:25000 Ordnance Survey map c1907

Internet sources

English Heritage - Images of England Access to Archives – www.a2a.org.uk Victoria County History Cornwall – www.cornwallpast.net Tywardreath village website - www.tywardreath.org.uk

Other sources

Cornwall Council’s Historic Environment Record including the Sites and Monuments Record, Historic maps, aerial photographs, Historic Landscape Characterisation

Sources 63March 2010

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Documents